In the present application, smart labels refer to labels comprising an RF-ID circuit (identification) or an RF-EAS circuit (electronic article surveillance). In this Finnish application, the English terms corresponding to the Finnish terms are often included in parenthesis, because the English terms are regularly used by persons skilled in the art.
A known smart label inlet web is disclosed in U.S. Pat. publication No. 5,867,102. In the publication, FIG. 15 shows a smart label inlet web comprising electronic product control means 240 having an adhesive background and comprising a thin film and an oscillating circuit protected by a small plastic cover.
The manufacture of the smart label inlet web involves several problems. Discharges of static electricity during the manufacturing process or moisture, particularly in a long term, may damage a smart label having no protection so that it becomes useless. When a suitable protection, for example a plastic film or paper, is attached with a conventional adhesive onto the smart label, it is relatively easy to detach, and the smart label can thus be easily damaged. Conventional wet lamination processes and direct application of a hot-melt adhesive on the smart label are poorly suited alternatives, because the smart label is subjected to mechanical stress and heat stress in these processes. In the process, waste is also produced especially at the beginning of the manufacturing process particularly when wet lamination is used, because the production parameters are usually not successfully set at once.